What's up with girls wearing pony tails on wrists like bracelets?

[cherryblossom]

Ok, I have been curious for quite awhile and silently wondered why teenage girls wear those elastic bands meant to put hair back in a ponytail around their wrists. Some don a few while others wear what must be over 20-30 on one arm alone. Occasionally, I have put one around my wrist in case I needed to use it for my hair. But, I couldn't imagine needing like 20-30 on the spur of the moment. Which makes me wonder, is this just a fashion trend like legwarmers and big hair (dating myself there aren't I??) or is there meaning behind it???

[momee]

Clueless, but my girls are doing it too.

 

I guess because they're in plenty supply?

[Lolly]

My girls always have a couple on their wrists in case they need to pull their hair up. There have been many times I've been very happy that they have had an extra for me to borrow. I've never seen the 20-30 on a wrist, but trends seem to arrive in our area a bit late. On the plus side, they would make very inexpensive jewelry!

[Snickerdoodle]

I have one or two on my wrists at all times. If I feel the need to put my hair up I need to do it right then or else I go crazy. I don't want to be trying to find a hair elastic when my hair suddenly drives me nuts.

[Pajama Mama]

Maybe it's a nod to the nostalgic 80's with Madonna and the black rubber bracelets. If you're a child of the 80's you know what I'm talking about;)

[Adrianne]

Ok, I have been curious for quite awhile and silently wondered why teenage girls wear those elastic bands meant to put hair back in a ponytail around their wrists. Some don a few while others wear what must be over 20-30 on one arm alone. Occasionally, I have put one around my wrist in case I needed to use it for my hair. But, I couldn't imagine needing like 20-30 on the spur of the moment. Which makes me wonder, is this just a fashion trend like legwarmers and big hair (dating myself there aren't I??) or is there meaning behind it???

 

I remember doing that in high school. It was a fashion thing.

 

Remember jelly bracelets?

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

Um, well I can tell you why SOME of the girls do it around here. If ya really want to know, but it isn't for the faint of heart so stop reading here if you are easily grossed out....

 

Certain colors represent certain sexual acts. For example, if you wear pink, that could mean you will play what they call the "spit it out game" (they play this on the school bus). Black might mean you go "all the way". I don't know the real color scheme, but I believe it is available online if anyone wants to Google. If a boy comes and snaps the bracelet off, you then are obligated to perform "the color".

 

BTW- this is in MIDDLE SCHOOL.

 

Now, I know I make our middle school sound like a terrible place. But there are nice girls who attend and do not mix with the "bad crowd". Most of the girls who play "the game" come from a lower socio-economic background.

[GailV]

Um, well I can tell you why SOME of the girls do it around here. If ya really want to know, but it isn't for the faint of heart so stop reading here if you are easily grossed out....

 

Certain colors represent certain sexual acts. For example, if you wear pink, that could mean you will play what they call the "spit it out game" (they play this on the school bus). Black might mean you go "all the way". I don't know the real color scheme, but I believe it is available online if anyone wants to Google. If a boy comes and snaps the bracelet off, you then are obligated to perform "the color".

 

BTW- this is in MIDDLE SCHOOL.

 

Now, I know I make our middle school sound like a terrible place. But there are nice girls who attend and do not mix with the "bad crowd". Most of the girls who play "the game" come from a lower socio-economic background.

 

Read more about it at Snopes

[Gretchen in NJ]

Clueless, but my girls are doing it too.

 

I guess because they're in plenty supply?

:iagree: I think it might be you never know when you might need a pony tail? I don't get it either.:tongue_smilie:

[momofkhm]

It's not actually that popular anymore BUT there are 2 reasons...

 

One might not apply to most - at the private school she went to, you could not wear colored jewlery, so wearing ponytail holders made up for that.

 

And also it's easier to wear it on your wrist o you can just grab it when you need it. It doesn't fall off your wrist as easily as out of a pocket.

 

She never figured out why some girls wear 20 - maybe it was a fashion statement.

 

She, for one, got used to wearing them and felt strange without one there.

[CLHCO]

M 14-year-old fashion clueless twins do this, one far more than the other. My 3-year-old is obsessed with sticking these things all up her arms. I've had to pull them off my son's wrist and explain to him that it's kind of "girly". :lol:

[milovany]

[*Quietly slipping the black ponytail off my wrist*]

 

Good grief, hope I haven't been sending the wrong message out in public!! I thought someone might think I was into Kabbalah (or is that red?) -- but this?

[BMW]

Well, my girls wear them for a couple reasons... one, of course is to be able to put their hair up in an instant... the other reason is, with 3 girls, they want to be able to FIND one... and whenever they find one laying around, they claim it and on the wrist it goes... oh, the squabbles over ponytailers...

 

Now I am rethinking buying black ponytailers!! Brown will do nicely, thank you.

 

On the funny side, I always called them "hair pretties". My girls never thought anything of it and thought everyone called them "hair pretties". Then they got some funny looks at middle and h.s. when they called them that! They felt like complete immature nerds... but, now they laugh and still call them that.

 

Bee

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

[*Quietly slipping the black ponytail off my wrist*]

 

Good grief, hope I haven't been sending the wrong message out in public!! I thought someone might think I was into Kabbalah (or is that red?) -- but this?

 

That's what bothers me most about it. Because of this small group of kids in the area, no one wants their kids wearing bracelets like that so as not to be seen as one of "those". The few have ruined the innocent joy of the many.

[Mrs Mungo]

Now, I know I make our middle school sound like a terrible place. But there are nice girls who attend and do not mix with the "bad crowd". Most of the girls who play "the game" come from a lower socio-economic background.

 

I wouldn't have expected this sort of comment from you, I think you are usually pretty Democratic. I attended a very large public high school (Ihad something like 800 kids in my graduating class) and a huge "party school" (at least in those days) of a university. I've known PLENTY of "easy" girls from the upper class families and plenty of "nice girls" from lower class families.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

I come from one of the "lowest" socio-economic backgrounds and I never would have participated in such activities. I've never found morality and money to be all that closely related.

[runningirl71]

My dd does wear one or two around her wrist in case she needs to pull her hair back. Well, she did before she chopped it off and gave it to locks of love! :) She would sometimes wear a whole bunch as "bracelets." I don't know if there is more meaning in it for older girls or not. Clueless.:)

[Lolly]

My dd does wear one or two around her wrist in case she needs to pull her hair back. Well, she did before she chopped it off and gave it to locks of love! :) She would sometimes wear a whole bunch as "bracelets." I don't know if there is more meaning in it for older girls or not. Clueless.:)

 

I think the bracelets that have "meaning" are different than just ponytail rubber bands. They are the plastic colored bracelets.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

I wouldn't have expected this sort of comment from you, I think you are usually pretty Democratic. I attended a very large public high school (Ihad something like 800 kids in my graduating class) and a huge "party school" (at least in those days) of a university. I've known PLENTY of "easy" girls from the upper class families and plenty of "nice girls" from lower class families.

 

I did not mean to imply that all the kids from lower socio-economic backgrounds were involved, or that girls from well off families aren't doing some pretty shocking things. However, this is the crowd in the middle school that is involved in these games on the bus and so forth.

 

A lot of this behavior is done out of rebellion against what these kids call the "preps"- middle class kids who can afford nice clothes, gadgets, and lots of activities. SOME (not all by ANY means) of these kids are very jealous and act out as a result. It goes WAy beyond what we experienced in high school as easy girls and nice girls. That still exists- this is a different problem all together. This is like gangs.

 

I think the bracelets that have "meaning" are different than just ponytail rubber bands. They are the plastic colored bracelets.

Here they can't wear the plastic bracelets to school and they use the ponytail elastics. Some of the stores here won't even sell the plastic bracelets.

[swellmomma]

I almost always have one on my wrist, it is not a fashion statement, just a convient place to put my hair elastic if I have left my hair down, because I know I willwant to put it up at somepoint and want my elastic handy to do so.

[sassenach]

I wouldn't have expected this sort of comment from you, I think you are usually pretty Democratic. I attended a very large public high school (Ihad something like 800 kids in my graduating class) and a huge "party school" (at least in those days) of a university. I've known PLENTY of "easy" girls from the upper class families and plenty of "nice girls" from lower class families.

 

Um...I'm pretty sure that as a Republican, I don't make those generalizations. Not to start something, but I'm just sayin'...

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Um...I'm pretty sure that as a Republican, I don't make those generalizations. Not to start something, but I'm just sayin'...

 

I don't think she was referring to the political party. :001_smile:

[sassenach]

Um, well I can tell you why SOME of the girls do it around here. If ya really want to know, but it isn't for the faint of heart so stop reading here if you are easily grossed out....

 

Certain colors represent certain sexual acts. For example, if you wear pink, that could mean you will play what they call the "spit it out game" (they play this on the school bus). Black might mean you go "all the way". I don't know the real color scheme, but I believe it is available online if anyone wants to Google. If a boy comes and snaps the bracelet off, you then are obligated to perform "the color".

 

BTW- this is in MIDDLE SCHOOL.

 

Now, I know I make our middle school sound like a terrible place. But there are nice girls who attend and do not mix with the "bad crowd". Most of the girls who play "the game" come from a lower socio-economic background.

 

We're in student ministry and I first learned about this game years ago. I don't see it as an active problem where we're at anymore, but I'm sure it still actively exists in different regions.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

I don't think she was referring to the political party. :001_smile:

 

No I don't think she was either. I just phrased something badly that, when taken the way it was taken, was indeed undemocratic. I think democratic in this case means standing for equality for all.

 

So it's all my fault. :001_smile:

[Mrs Mungo]

No I don't think she was either. I just phrased something badly that, when taken the way it was taken, was indeed undemocratic. I think democratic in this case means standing for equality for all.

 

So it's all my fault. :001_smile:

 

Yes, I meant democratic rather than Democratic, sorry for the misunderstanding. It was REALLY early in the am here when I typed that. ;)

 

And I think the haves and have nots thing or the preps v rebels v nerds v whomever thing has always been present.

[Tracey in TX]

My girls always have several on their wrists or ankles. Heaven forbid should the pony tail holder not match the leotard (and each friend's leo) :)

I keep a heavy stash of 'hair pretties' (cute phrase!) on my car's turn signal lever for emergencies. Or fashion statement.

 

Maybe I'll tell DH about the black band, so I can wear one when he wears his marital smile! :D

[mommylawyer]

My thought? Cheap jewelry option.

 

Plus, keeping hair accessories convenient instead of them getting lost in pockets or purses.

[Cathy in IL]

One other reason that I am sure is not so common - it is a recommended alternative to cutting for people who self-injure. They can pop the rubber band against thier wrist instead of cutting.